In 1971, Daril Cinquanta, a young police officer in Denver, was shot in the chest by a man in a parked car who he had tried to stop and ID.

Mr Cinquanta told The Times: “Back in those days if you saw a guy who looked like a character, you would stop him and ID him.”

When Mr Cinquanta attempted to stop Luis Archuleta, he claimed to not speak English, then pulled out a revolver, shot Mr Cinquanta in the chest and fled.

Although Mr Archuleta was caught and sentenced to serve nine to 14 years in prison, he escaped in 1974 and vanished, starting a new life for himself under an alias.

Now, 46 years later, Mr Archuleta has been recaptured and brought back to Denver where he is due to appear in court this month.

Mr Cinquanta said: “It’s incredible really. It’s been a very long chase.”